


Comfort Him

by philsdrill



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Claustrophobia, Food mentions, London Underground, M/M, Panic, Panic Attacks, Phan - Freeform, Phan Fluff, Phandom - Freeform, Phanfiction, crowds, panic disorder, phan fic, phanfic, phanfluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 00:23:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14988728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/philsdrill/pseuds/philsdrill
Summary: Dan arrives home after a stressful Tube journey and crawls into Phil’s arms for some comfort.





	Comfort Him

**Author's Note:**

> If you happen to have read this before, I posted this in December 2017 on tumblr. Also if anyone's interested in following me on tumblr - I'm more active on there and there's more fics - you can find me at [philsdrill](https://philsdrill.tumblr.com).

**Phil’s POV:**

Dan had gone out on his own today. I’d been sick for the last week, and while I was better now, I didn’t want to risk making things worse again by going out too soon. He only had a couple of things to do around London, so he’d headed out in the early afternoon.

He’d maybe underestimated how long things would take, as it was five o’clock before I got a text from him that he was on his way home. I knew Dan hated travelling at rush hour when he didn’t have to; no one enjoyed crowded tube carriages packed with commuters.

I heard the front door open and shut, but didn’t see or hear Dan until he arrived at my bedroom door. He was crying quietly and from the looks of his face, had been for a while. He was shaking as he lingered in my doorway, waiting to be invited in.

“Dan,” I said softly, “C’mere.”

Now that he had the invitation, Dan crossed the room, crawled up onto the bed next to me and curled up at my side, his breathing panicked and his tears now falling more freely.

Dan was clearly seeking some physical contact to comfort him, I could tell from the way he had curled up next to me, his face buried in my arm. I slipped my arm around him and pulled him more into my chest, turning my upper body slightly so I could use my other arm and encase him in a hug.

“What happened?” I asked him softly, wanting some idea what had put him into this state of panic.

“Just the tube was really really busy and I couldn’t breathe and I don’t know, I feel so stupid for freaking out over something so small,” Dan explained, stumbling over his words and sobbing.

“Dan, your feelings are completely valid,” I told him, supportively, “I’m happy to listen to you and do my best to help, but at the moment can you focus on slowing your breathing down a little?”

Dan got like this sometimes and I knew he just needed a little encouragement and someone to be there for him to help him calm down. Eventually, I managed to help slow his breathing, but he was still crying, now slow and sad rather than fast and panicked.

“Hey, how about you get your coat and your jeans off and get in here with me?” I suggested, knowing that getting Dan more physically comfortable would help. Apart from his shoes, he was still in his outdoor clothes and I could confirm that it was nice and cosy under the duvet.

Dan nodded an ‘okay’ and let me help him to undress, his body weak and tired from the panicking. Once he was down to just his boxers and a jumper, I let him under the covers, knowing that this was what he needed. Again, he curled up next to me, but this time, tucking his feet under my legs and being just that little bit closer.

I held Dan in a close hug, not difficult as he was halfway to sitting in my lap.

“You’re okay,” I reminded him, “Just relax, take as much time as you need and I’m going to be right here.”

I told him this while supportively running my left hand slowly up and down his back. He was still shaking a little and crying in small sobs into my chest. I knew he just needed some more time and all the support I could give him. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too long before he was back to his usual self, but I made the decision that we should take things easy this evening.

“Dan, I know we were planning to do some work this evening, but don’t worry about it,” I told him, “It can wait ‘til another day. I can tell you’re a bit shaken up, so I just want you to relax, okay.”

“But…” Dan started; I knew this was coming.

“No buts, Dan,” I said firmly, “We’re going to order pizza, watch something on TV, maybe even just stay in bed and watch films. Does that sound good? It does, admit it.”

“Okay,” Dan gave in, relaxing a little further in my arms.

“Good,” I concluded, finishing the conversation for now and returning to just comforting Dan quietly.

We ordered in pizza and left bed only to eat it, returning shortly after to make a cosy blanket and duvet heap, where we spent the evening watching films. Dan’s had stopped crying when he had to turn his focus to deciding on what pizza. I could sense he was still a little sensitive, but that was natural. I’m sure he’d recover with a good night’s sleep.

I made sure that we both got to bed at a sensible time and continued to give Dan supportive cuddles until he fell asleep. In the morning, he seemed himself again and eventually I felt we could talk in more detail about what had happened to cause his panic attack. Yesterday, I’d got the gist of why, but today, he was able to explain his feelings at the time and how he tried to handle them.

In no way was I an expert, but I discussed some coping technique with Dan. I hoped that if there was a next time, I’d be there to help. I voiced this to Dan, but also added that if this became something he needed professional help with, I’d be by his side the whole way.

Managing anxiety was never going to be easy, but I had faith in Dan that he could get through this.


End file.
